Portal:Current events/2020 November 8

November 8, 2020 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
- Battle of Shusha (2020)
  - The Azerbaijani military says it has captured the city of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says "We have won this victory on the battlefield, not at the negotiating table". Armenia and Artsakh leaders deny the loss of the city but say "fierce fighting" is ongoing inside the city. (The New York Times)
Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
- 2020 Mozambique attacks
  - Islamist militants are reported to have beheaded over 50 people in a massacre at a village in Cabo Delgado Province. (BBC News)
Tigray military intervention
- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed abruptly sacks and replaces the Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian military General Adem Mohammed, Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew and the head of intelligence Demelash Gebremichael. (BBC News)
- In a televised address, Ahmed accuses Tigray's regional leaders of "preparing for war" against the federal government since 2018, saying the group had siphoned federal development funds to buy weapons and train militias. (The Guardian)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Ontario reports 1,328 new infections, marking a new single-day record for a second day in a row. (CBC)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
      - Quebec reports 1,397 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began and surpasssing previous record one month ago. (CFCF-DT)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota
      - Minnesota reports 5,908 new cases, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Utah
      - Utah governor Gary Herbert declares a state of emergency and ordered a statewide mask mandate in an attempt to stem a surge of COVID-19. (KUTV)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi
      - Delhi reports the highest single-day spike of 7,745 new cases of COVID-19, taking the capital’s total to 438,529 cases. (Hindustan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - The Education Ministry orders all schools across the country to close as part of the implementation of a conditional movement control order in most states from tomorrow until the end of the academic year. (CNA)
    - Malaysia surpasses 40,000 cumulative cases of COVID-19. (The Star)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
    - Iran reports 459 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, its single-day record since the pandemic began, raising the nationwide death toll to 38,291. (Middle East Monitor)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Albania
    - Albania reports 501 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new single-day record and becomes the first time the country reports more than 500 cases in a single day. (Xinhua)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece reports 35 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, a new single-day record, pushing the nationwide death toll to 734. (Ekathimerini)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Prime Minister Antonio Costa announces that Portugal will impose a localized nighttime curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., in 121 municipalities across the country, affecting 70% of the population, beginning tomorrow. People will also be prevented from leaving their homes between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces a lift on restrictions of the 25-kilometre (16 mi) travel limit in Melbourne and the "ring of steel" separating the city from Regional Victoria from 11:59 p.m AEDT tonight. He also announces that gyms, theatres and cinemas will reopen tomorrow, and more people will be allowed in hospitality and religious venues. It is also the first time that all of Victoria has been on the same restriction level since late June. (ABC Australia)
- The number of confirmed worldwide COVID-19 cases surpasses 50 million. The United States remains the country with the most confirmed cases, accounting for 20% of all cases worldwide. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2020 Myanmar general election
- Voters in Myanmar head to the polls. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy is expected to win the election, despite international accusations of genocide and persecution of the Rohingya minority, who were also stripped of their voting rights in 2015. (BBC News)
Luis Arce is sworn in as President of Bolivia, succeeding Jeanine Áñez. (El Mundo)
Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak announces his resignation on social media due to "health reasons". It comes two days after the chief of the Turkish Central Bank was fired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (Reuters)
Japanese prince Fumihito is officially made heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. The crowning ceremony had been delayed by seven months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (BBC News)
Fra' Marco Luzzago is elected the new Lieutenant of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The Order also postpones election for Grand Master. (Rome Reports)

Science and technology

Virgin Hyperloop makes its initial run with human passengers, achieving a top speed of 107 mph (172 kph) using magnetic levitation. (The Guardian)